Recently I read a brief article that presented the scenario that the silent majority of Americans, in contrast to the those hard-line groups clamoring for the media attention, are much more centrally located politically than those who are in office or are running for office understand. One of the commenters on that article called out political centrists as being “decidedly undecided.”
While I am a supporter of freedom of speech and of that person’s right to his opinion, I strongly disagree with the opinion that people who do not align completely with one side or the other are undecided.
When I went to the polls for the first time as an 18-year-old voter, I believed that I was doing the correct thing by voting straight party, for the party that my family and nearly all of my sphere of influence had supported. I knew very little of what it meant to be a personally responsible voter, with the exception that I did at least exercise my right and fulfill my responsibility to vote. I was excited, rightfully so, to be of voting age.
Not only did I not truly understand what it meant to be an informed voter, I also discovered that my assumptions about how my family, particularly extended family, and friends voted was a bit off base.
As a person who was considered to be an adult legally able to cast a vote based on my conscience and convictions, it was now my responsibility to do my due diligence and to cast my vote based on how candidates aligned with my worldview.
My worldview stems from my faith, yet within me lies a fighter’s spirit, one that I sometimes even fancy as being the spirit of a revolutionary.
The term revolutionary carries negative connotations of course, as it often refers to messy conflicts, or worse, violent assaults on established authority. The life of a revolutionary in the true sense of the term was not, and in places of current civil unrest is not, attractive nor likely to be very long.
Given the current political climate with the required 100% buy-in to be accepted by either side, I prefer to be an ideological revolutionary.
Being revolutionary and being “undecided” appear to be in contrast, and I would agree that they are. I have evaluated and have chosen my position on many of the important issues facing our nation. Still many of those issues are complex and multifaceted. They deserve thorough and careful consideration. And the candidates who we elect to represent us at the local and national level require that same level of thoughtful consideration.
To some, my ballot may look undecided as you are likely to see names selected who are Republican, a few who are Democrat, and even some who are Libertarian.
As it relates to the role of government, I believe that the ideals represented by the Libertarian party most align with my views. Fiscally and in regard to national security I tend to view things more from the perspective of the Republican party, though on some “social” issues, I tend to align more with the democratic party.
During a long, indoor bike ride, because the Midwest had some early snow this November, I chose to listen to a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) “Campus Clash” event. TPUSA was founded by a young conservative named Charlie Kirk. He was on the panel along with Candice Owens and Brandon Tatum.
One of the students opened his question by saying that he was not “a climate change denier,” but that he also didn’t believe the world would end in 12 years. He went on to ask the panel why the Republicans downplay climate change, and what position the panelists thought the party should take on that issue.
The panelists answered that they would like to see the Republican party do more to encourage entrepreneurs, particularly those in relevant programs in college, to work to address the issues that are a legitimate concern for our environment, like removing the plastic from our waterways and developing ways to make sustainable energy affordable. I couldn’t agree more with their answer.
Leaning Libertarian, I believe that creating an environment that allows for entrepreneurship and free-market competition is better than government regulations, and bans, in this case, and likely in other areas where the government has overstepped.
It seems to be a common assumption that only people who support Democrats are interested in the environment, but as an Independent, and as a Christian, I care a great deal about our natural resources; I live in a beautifully unique state, and I would like to see it remain so. Side note, scripture tells us that God gave humankind “dominion” over the rest of creation, but He did not give us permission to destroy it or waste it.
Though I identify as politically independent, I am far from undecided. The thing is, my positions on the important issues do not fit neatly into either the red box or the blue box. Being a decisive Independent can be challenging, on several levels.
We often receive criticism from both the all-red and the all-blue voters, which I find in a way supports my philosophical revolutionary endeavor. We also have to put in the effort necessary to sift through the propaganda that comes from both sides in order to make informed decisions.
When one wouldn’t consider anyone or anything outside of his or her pre-chosen color box, there is very little research or deciding to be done. If you are committed to a party to that extent, as a Libertarian-leaning Independent, I support your right to your position.
For the rest of us, and I believe it is likely the majority of us, much work definitely does lie ahead in choosing the people who most closely align with our positions. As those choices become less and less committed to their responsibility to represent the people they are elected to serve in public office, and more committed to agendas, self-interest, and special interests, the work becomes more tiresome, but it also becomes that much more important.
The Listener 